With its 40,000 residents, the port city of Jacmel lies some 40 kilometres south of the capital Port-au-Prince. With its delightful gingerbread-style houses, it has long been a vibrant tourist destination.

But this charming city was badly damaged by the earthquake. More than 450 inhabitants were killed, 2,500 houses totally destroyed and thousands were made homeless, according to the local authorities,

The quake also destroyed many of the city's architectural treasures, including many of the famous 19th century gingerbread houses. A large number now lie in ruins, alongside other monuments attesting to Jacmel's famous past as the capital of Haiti's South-East.

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However, the inhabitants, known locally as the Jacméliens have decided to fight back by promoting local assets not destroyed by the 12 January quake. This includes its beaches, people, hospitality and artists.

Jacmelian art, and more specifically painting, has gained world-wide recognition through its most famous son, the artist Préfète Duffaut. His renowned imaginary city landscapes have been strongly influenced by the city of Jacmel.

The family of Canada's Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, also hails from Jacmel and she herself is the niece of the famous Franco Haitian poet and essayist René Depestre.

Little wonder then that this shattered city should be so close to the heart of so many Haitians. They also fondly remember its unique carnival which used to take place every year in mid February.

"The festival used to attract some 30,000 visitors from all parts of the country and beyond",  says Dithny Joan Raton, who works for the city's tourist office. "The other highlights of the year are the festivals for the patron saints of the city, Saint Jacques and Saint Philippe".

Although this year's carnival did not take place, thousands of citizens gathered to celebrate May 1st as best they could. 

"Our sea and coastline are unique and we will certainly do our best not to let them go to waste", says Daniel Fouchard, who heads to city's tourist office, "The fact that so many people gathered to celebrate May 1st proves that our follow countrymen are determined to enjoy life, despite the tragedy that befell us".

Despite this will to start afresh, the city bears ugly deep scars from the quake, six months on.  In places, those scars have started to heal, with the help provided by organizations such as the IOM that bring assistance to the homeless that continue to live in five spontaneous camps that have appeared in and around the city.

The largest camp, which shelters close to 1,000 families, is located on a football pitch in the neighbourhood of Pinchinat.

IOM's Ben Oduwa, camp coordinator and camp manager in Jacmel says those families need to be relocated at the earliest possible opportunity.

"Families are living in very cramped conditions under khaki tents provided a few months ago by the Venezuelan army", says Ben Oduwa. "The heat inside is at times unbearable and the ground turns into a swamp every time it rains".

Charlotte Charles is a member of the camp's coordination committee. She hopes all displaced families will soon be relocated to a better site. "We really hope things will improve on the new site, because currently when it rains, people have to stand up under the tents because of the flooding".

Following the artistic tradition of the city, Charlotte, who wears dreadlocks, shows her paintings to the few people who visit the camp. "I used to live in an apartment and I owned an artist's studio in Jacmel. My apartment was flattened and the studio was badly damaged", says Charlotte.

She adds that she's been living since 14 January in a tent given to her by the NGO Shelter Box. With tears I her eyes, she says her life is really hard.

"It's not normal to live like this, with nothing to do all day long. Before, my life revolved around art, working with young artists. The 12 January quake has changed all that".      

She adds that IOM's assistance has been crucial and has helped camp residents to organize themselves and to learn a lot about camp management.

Andral Maxito is an unemployed mechanic who found refuge in Pinchinat after the quake. "IOM helped us to organize ourselves, which in turn helped us to clearly express our needs to humanitarian organizations", he says.

In Jacmel, efforts are on-going to try and prepare for the return of tourists.

"There's work going on to repair a couple of damaged hotels and to identify those that are structurally sound enough to reopen soon", says Michaëlle Craan, a tourist industry personality in Jacmel. "Despite the devastation, the lack of hotel rooms and the closing of the local airport, we're seeing a few fragile green shoots. Continued assistance and the resilience of our people will help us through those difficult times".